Israel may cut vital security and intel ties with UK over Palestinian state push

Starmer has told his cabinet that the UK may proceed with recognition unless Israel ends its military campaign in Gaza and commits to a renewed peace process.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israel is reportedly considering downgrading or severing its security and intelligence ties with the United Kingdom if Prime Minister Keir Starmer moves forward with plans to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state.

According to a report in The Times, senior officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are weighing retaliatory measures should Britain formalize recognition before the upcoming UN General Assembly in September.

Starmer has told his cabinet that the UK may proceed unless Israel ends its military campaign in Gaza and commits to a renewed peace process, including a freeze on annexation in Judea and Samaria.

Some Israeli officials fear such recognition would undermine efforts to pressure Hamas, reward violence, and strain one of Israel’s most important strategic partnerships.

The proposal has triggered alarm in Jerusalem, where it is being viewed as a potential turning point in UK-Israel relations.

“London needs to tread carefully,” a diplomatic source told The Times. “Israel has options, and the UK has much to lose if this relationship deteriorates.”

A second source warned that countries considering recognition “should weigh the consequences” of bypassing negotiations with Israel and granting the Palestinians statehood on a unilateral basis.

While Netanyahu’s government is divided on how far to go, discussions have reportedly included ending long-standing military and intelligence coordination with the UK.

Such a move, officials acknowledge, could jeopardize British access to vital intelligence, particularly on Iranian threats.

In recent years, Israel has supplied the UK with critical information, including details that allegedly foiled a planned Iranian attack on Israel’s embassy in London.

British military forces have also used Israeli technology—including drones deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan—and continue to receive equipment credited with saving British soldiers’ lives.

Since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, the UK Royal Air Force has conducted near-daily surveillance flights over Gaza to aid efforts to locate hostages.

The British military has also turned to U.S. contractors to assist with aerial intelligence gathering due to equipment shortages.